US 8,554,785 B2Granted

Method and system for managing user information in instant messaging systems

AssigneeAlibaba Group Holding Limited

InventorsYongwei Kong, Jianxiang Mo, Zhiguang Xu, Ji Xu

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Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a method for managing user information in an instant messaging system in order to address the problems of increasing system workload, increasing network overhead and deteriorated system performance in existing technologies due to frequent access of user information management server or servers when user information is searched. According to a disclosed method, an access server obtains and stores information of contacts of a logged-in user; the access server notifies user information of the logged-in user to other access servers; the access servers that receive the notification store the user information of the logged-in user upon determining that contact(s) is/are found locally therein; and when the access server needs to obtain the information of the contacts of the user, the access server performs a search either locally or in other access servers. Furthermore, a communication system is also provided. The disclosed method and system are believed to result in greatly reduced frequency of searching user information in the user information management servers, reduced workload of the user information management servers, improved performance of searching user information and reduced network overhead of the system.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method for managing user information in an instant messaging system, the method comprising:

establishing, in a first computer access server, a first buddy table that stores buddy information of a user and a first reverse buddy table that stores reverse buddy information of the user;
associating an identifier of the user with local buddy information of the user in the first buddy table;
associating the identifier of the user with local reverse buddy information of the user;
recording position information of a buddy in the first reverse buddy table;
obtaining, by the first computer access server, contact information of contacts of the user who is logged into the first computer access server from a client device;
updating the first buddy table and the first reverse buddy table stored locally at the first computer access server, based at least in part on the contact information and user information of the user, wherein the user information of the user includes identification information of the user;
sending a notification, by the first computer access server, to notify a plurality of other computer access servers including a second computer access server of user information of the user, wherein the second computer access server stores a second buddy table and a second reverse buddy table locally;
determining whether the identification information of the user exists in the second reverse buddy table of the second computer access server;
storing, by the second computer access server which receives the notification, the user information of the user in the event that the second computer access server determines that the identification information of the user exists in the second reverse buddy table of the second computer access server;
sending, by the first computer access server, status information of the contacts of the user to a client terminal of the user;
and
sending status information of the user to related contacts by the second computer access server,
wherein the contact information of the contacts of the user comprises the buddy information and the reverse buddy information of the user.

10 more elements

A communication system, comprising:

a first computer access server that:
stores a first buddy table and a first reverse buddy table locally, wherein the first buddy table stores buddy information of a user and the first reverse buddy table stores reverse buddy information of the user;
associates an identifier of the user with local buddy information of the user in the first buddy table;
associates the identifier of the user with local reverse buddy information of the user;
records position information of a buddy in the first reverse buddy table;
and
sending status information of the contacts of the user to a client terminal of the user;
and
a second computer access server that:
allows the user to log in;
obtains and stores contact information of contacts of the user;
updates a second buddy table and a second reverse buddy table stored locally at the second computer access server, based at least in part on the contact information and user information of the user, wherein the user information of the user includes an identifier of the user;
sends a notification to a plurality of other computer access servers including the first computer access server of user information of the user;
searches for the information of the contacts of the user locally or causes the first computer access server to search for the information of the contacts of the user;
transmits instant messages to the first computer access server;
receives instant messages from the first computer access server;
and
sending status information of the user to related contacts,
wherein the contact information of the contacts of the user comprises the buddy information and the reverse buddy information of the user.

16 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.